RIGBY'S FOLLY, Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, 25124
West Ferry Neck Road near Royal Oak but nearer still to Bellevue. 

Monday, July 10, 2006.  After I get my boat hooked up and moved away from
the garage car port I discover there is a Carolina Wren nest with 5
beautiful eggs in the stern just left of the outboard.  Nicely constructed,
some of the leaves woven into the nest's fabric are large ones with a sort
of lacey filigree done by Japanese Beetles.  Be that as it may - I'm sorry
- I'm going to use my boat.  With a step ladder and various board sections
it only takes a few minutes to fashion a nice, protected setting for the
nest, semi-enclosed, next to the inside wall of the car port.  But as I
suspect would happen, when we check it on July 12 the eggs are gone and
there's a fragment of a snake shed in the nest.  What a pity.  Meanwhile
the wrens continue to sing, poignantly to my ears, in the yard.  In
previous years they have nested, sometimes successfully, inside of the boat
and the housing for the power winch cable on the trailer as well as over
the front door sill.  May I suggest a little more distance, please?


some LOWER EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND ISLANDS:  Dorchester & Somerset
counties, Tuesday, July 11.  A 52.5 statute mile boat trip.  Jared Sparks &
Harry Armistead.  6 A.M. - 6 P.M.  The main objective is to atlas these
areas.  Sites 2-6 & 12-19 are in Dorchester County, 7-11 in Somerset
County.  As usual Diamondback Terrapin are seen today in almost all of
these sites.  Lots of Sea Nettles in the waters.  Big ones.  Bugs not bad
at all.     

This morning at Rigby the temperature is 81 degrees F. when I get up at
2:45 A.M.  On the boat temps ranged from the high 70s to the low 90s, winds
are 10-15 SW, and it is fair but hazy.  I'd hoped the waters would be a
little less choppy and rough today.  Water temps are in the high 70s
mostly.  Back at Rigby at 9:30 P.M. the temperature is 83 and the Green
Tree Frogs are soundin' off.  86 at Cambridge at sunset.

1.  Rigby's Folly.  A doe & 2 small fawns on the driveway at 3:30 A.M.

2.  Along Egypt Rd. & Key Wallace Drive c. 5 A.M.  A Red Fox, 9 deer, and
one large owl (probably Barred).

3.  CROCHERON harbor near Bishop's Head.  6 A.M.  A male Black Scoter on
the beach at the base of the west jetty, probably a cripple.  An ad. Bald
Eagle.  1 Royal Tern on a piling.

4.  LOWER HOOPER'S ISLAND, east side at MENS BURIAL POINT.  7-8 A.M.  25
species.  Extensive Juncus roemerianus marsh and a nice Loblolly Pine
hammock with some hollies, Persimmons, and a hackberry.  18 pelicans.  40
cormorants.  2 Mallards.  2 Song & 17 Seaside sparrows.  1 kingbird.  2
Carolina Wrens.  2 catbirds.  1 yellowthroat.  1 Glossy Ibis.  1 Bald
Eagle.  1 Willet.  3 Clapper Rails.  6 Ospreys.  14 Boat-tailed Grackles. 
An adjacent pound net is chock full of Cow-nosed Rays extending the tips of
their "wings" above the water's surface, from whence their colloquial name
"doublehead" is derived.  

5.  LOWER HOOPER'S ISLAND, west side, Eel Hope & Fishing points plus
THOROFARE COVE.  8:30 - 9:15 A.M.  Jared harvests some oysters, sticks them
in the cooler.  17 species.  There is an extensive bed of SAV in the cove
where 30 Diamondback Terrapin snouts are visible above the surface.  Just
east and south of here are several wooded hammocks.  Unfortunately we are
not able to access these due to very shallow water and a large, intervening
defensive ring of dense, high neddlerush.  The woods' acreages are enough
so that I'd wager Pine Warbler, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and other species
not normally found on island hammocks would be breeders.  Some nice sandy
beaches and exposed mudflats.  Found but one Angelwing on the sand; must be
near the northern limit for these exquisite, delicate shells.  

1 Least Sandpiper (early migrant).  125 cormorants.  12 pelicans.  2
oystercatchers.  25 Forster's Terns.  2 Snowy Egrets.  4 Seaside Sparrows
incl. 1 carrying food.  4 Bald Eagles (2 ad., 2 young).  1 Tree Swallow. 

6.  SE BLOODSWORTH ISLAND (N of Straits Point at the S end of Great Cove). 
Bloodsworth Island SE atlas block.  10 - 10:45 A.M.  A surprising 22
species.  1 ad. Bald Eagle.  2 Royal Terns.  5 pelicans.  1 Saltmarsh
Sharp-tailed & 7 Seaside sparrows.  5 Marsh Wrens.  1 Green Heron.  5 Great
Egrets.  3 Clapper Rails.  1 Glossy Ibis.  There is a nice but small
hammock about 150 yards to the west with 5 or 6 Red Cedars, in 1 of which a
Great Egret landed.  This is the only hammock remaining in the S half of
Bloodsworth I.   

7.  NE SOUTH MARSH ISLAND (S.M.I.) E of Gunbarrel Cove and W of Sound Point
in an area known as OLD GROUND MARSH.  Even though this is in Somerset
County it is in the same Dorchester County atlas block as Site 6 above.  7
species.  11 - 11:20 A.M.  A Peregrine Falcon hacking tower is only c. 150
yards from our shoreline landing point and as best we could determine 2
adults and at least 2 juveniles capable of flight are there.  1 Marsh Wren.
 3 Great & 2 Snowy egrets.  1 Osprey.  1 Royal Tern.  7 pelicans.

8.  SOUTH MARSH ISLAND.  Site of the old HUNT CLUB, on the E central shore
of S.M.I., whose remains include only a few pilings and some bulkheading
and a much-diminished island less than an acre.  11:30 A.M.  Boated by w/o
landing.  6 oystercatchers.  10 pelicans.  30 cormorants.  6 Herring Gulls.
 All of these actually on the island.  Formerly the hunt club had nice wood
paneling and an observation deck.  

9.  SOUTH MARSH ISLAND.  The island's only HAMMOCK reached by boating S up
a deep, long and quite wide tidal gut c. 1/2 mile.  Noon - 12:30 P.M.  This
is due N of Sheepshead Point and somewhat SE of the center of S.M.I.  Here
there are 5 Black Locusts, an American Hackberry, much Poison Ivy, 3 small
ponds mostly bordered by Scirpus, and a dense grwoth of Baccharis
halimifolia, the latter frequented today by 16 Boat-tailed Grackles (some
carrying food) plus 5 Black-crowned & 2 Yellow-crowned Night herons.  This
is an enchanted wilderness setting surrounded by c. 10 acres of high
(elevation) saltmarsh with expansive Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata
meadows.  If there is one place on the Bay islands where Black Rails may
occur I'd guess this would be it.

There is an elaborate Peregrine Falcon hacking tower, I call it the South
Marsh Island Trump Tower, a few hundred yards to the north of the hammock,
with 2 antennae, and at least 2 compartments, but we do not see any falcons
present on this one.  Previously I've raised the question of the effect
local peregrines may be having on the local Willet and black duck
populations.  S.M.I. seems rather bereft of birds to me.  

18 species.  1 Greater Yellowlegs (early migrant).  16 Seaside (some
carrying food), 1 Song & 2 Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed sparrows.  3 Northern
Harriers (probably a family group).  2 Tricolored Herons.  1 Clapper Rail. 
2 Marsh Wrens.  Formerly this hammock had more trees and up to 6 heron
species nesting simulaneously.  The tidal gut leading up to it is a gem but
none of the maps I have give it a name.

10.  SOUTH MARSH ISLAND, S end.  12:45 P.M.  Formerly there were 2 islands
(incl. EAST ISLAND) here that harbored in various years sizeable Common and
Forster's tern colonies, and, I think, skimmers once or twice.  Only a
small remnant of one remains, less than the area of my living room, where
there were a few gulls, pelicans, and cormorants roosting today.

11.  SOUTH MARSH ISLAND - PRY ISLAND.  1:00 - 1:25 P.M.  An acre or more
with a rich growth of dense, often waist-high grasses, some exposed, high,
bare turf on the W end, and a sand/shell beach section on the E end.  No
bushes, such as Baccharis, at all.  Formerly the 2 tern species, pelicans,
skimmers, and cormorants nested here at one time or another.  Herring and
Great Black-backed gulls (65 combined total for adults of these 2 species
seen today) still do, although we see no young birds but do find a nest
with 1 egg (late in the year for this) and 2 other well-formed, recent, but
empty nests.  

14 species.  8 pelicans.  10 cormorants.  2 oystercatchers.  2 each of
Royal, Forster's & Common terns.  1 migrant Barn Swallow heading down the
Bay. 

12.  S SEGMENT OF HOLLAND ISLAND, W side.  1:45 - 2:30 P.M.  23 species. 
On June 18 Pat Valdata and I found 165 pelicans here, most sitting in the
bushes and trees, with 4 nests started.  The promise of this becoming a
major colony has evaporated.  Today there are no nests and only a few
immature pelicans perched in the Red Cedar.  But Jared and I do confirm
breeding here of Tricolored, Little Blue, and Yellow-crowned Night herons,
Glossy Ibis, Cattle & Snowy Egrets by virtue of unfledged young seen today.


5 Bald Eagles (2 ad. & 3 imm. flying over their nest c. 1/3 mi. to the E). 
2 Willets.  3 oystercatchers.  1 Green Heron (the scarcest of the 10
heron/ibis species on these islands).  3 Song Sparrows.  11 large but still
fuzzy or downy young gulls, representing both Herring and Great
Black-backed.  3 Ospreys.  7 Fish Crows.  7 Boat-tailed Grackles incl. a
nest of this year, but it's empty.  

13.  HOLLAND ISLAND MIDDLE SEGMENT, the one with the old house.  Recently
the owner has nailed plywood sections where the first floor had been open
to the elements.  He continues his valiant effforts to save this fine old
place.  2:35 P.M.  Just boated by, not wanting to disturb the hundreds of
nesting pelicans, cormorants, and gulls.  335 Brown Pelicans (capable of
flight) in sight simultaneously, but that's just what we could see on the W
side of the island only.  What I didn't notice in my 3 earlier trips but
did this time are numerous Snowy Egrets and a few Little Blue Herons
pitching into the bushes and apparently breeding here, as they did last
year.   

14.  HOLLAND ISLAND N SEGMENT.  2:45 P.M.  A small marshy tump island with
some nice batches of Morning Glories.  Scene of a bustling tern colony when
Jared & I found 217 nests on May 28.  We boat around the island today being
careful not to disturb the terns.  They seem to have done very well.  We
estimate c. 145 large young terns sitting on the island's shore waiting for
their parents to return with small fishes.  I am sure there are many more
we can't see.  There are also 2 large but still unfledged young Great
Black-backed Gulls.  A few Common Terns are also present; see 5 adults.  

15.  ADAM ISLAND S SEGMENT.  3 P.M.  On June 11 Jared and I flushed a
Wilson's Snipe that acted like a shorebird jumped from its nest.  Pat
Valdata and I failed to relocate it on June 18.  The objective of today's
landing is to look for it again, which we do without luck.  Just one of
those anomalous, inexplicable events, I guess.  As far as I know there are
no Maryland breeding records.  But of interest are a Great Egret, 2 ad.
Black-crowned Night and 2 Litle Blue herons hanging out in the small ridge
of trees where great blues nest.  These former 3 species usually do not
breed on Adam I.   
16.  SAND BARS between N Adam, S Pone, and Northeast islands.  3:30 P.M. 
These are favored waterbird roosting and resting areas, today populated by
70 pelicans, 310 Mute Swans, and 6 Laughing, 215 Herring & 70 Great
Black-backed gulls.  There aren't THAT many sandbars on the lower Bay. 
These are among the most extensive, and in such a wild, remote setting.    
  

17.  BLOODSWORTH POINT sandbar (NW Pone I.).  3:45 P.M.  A much smaller
sandbar/marshy tump complex but with 90 pelicans, a surprising 35 Canada
Geese, 85 cormorants, 20 Herring, 1 Laughing & 15 Great Black-backed gulls.
 Shortly afterwards I plow into a submerged Sherman Tank, damaging somewhat
the so-called skeg, the part of the outboard that extends below the
propeller, and possibly causing a leak of the lubricants that make the
gears work.  However, the remaining 6 mi. or so of the trip go well, and
often at speeds of 20+ knots.  Into every life a little Sherman tank must
fall.   

18.  NW BLOODSWORTH I.  Beach and marsh areas E of Okahanikan Point on the
S side of, you guessed it!, Okahanikan Cove.  Another lovely, remote area. 
4:10-4:25 P.M.  A surprising 21 species.  8 Mute Swans incl. 1 pen with a
small, downy cygnet.  3 Clapper Rails.  4 Seaside Sparrows.  2 Marsh Wrens.
 1 Mallard (only 1 all day).  4 American Black Ducks (only ones all day). 
6 Boat-tailed Grackles, 1 carrying food.  11 Snowy Egrets.  7 pelicans.  4
Ospreys incl. an active nest.  2 Little Blue & 2 Tricolored herons.  1
Glossy Ibis.  1 Barn Swallow.

19.  BLOODSWORTH I., FIN CREEK.  4:35-5:15 P.M.  23 species.  It is hard
not to go here, a tidal gut that penetrates Bloodsworth for over 1.2 miles,
offering such easy and extensive access.  Fin Creek Ridge has had a large
Great Blue Heronry for decades and sports a fine growth of Bayberry, Poison
Ivy, and Baccharis as well as a few Black Locusts, Red Cedars, and Loblolly
Pines.     

1 Glossy Ibis.  14 Black-crowned Night, 5 Tricolored & 3 Little Blue
herons.  4 Snowy, 1 Cattle & 2 Great Egrets.  4 Marsh Wrens.  10 Seaside
Sparrows.  4 yellowthroats.  1 House Wren.  2 harriers.  1 big female
Peregrine Falcon.  1 Bald Eagle.  3 Willets (about this time of year
Willets breeding on these islands begin to leave, their season here already
at an end; see you next April, guys).  12 Ospreys.  For the first time that
I can remember I've seen no kingbirds or Yellow-crowned Night Herons along
Fin Creek this summer.                     
   
Best to all.-Henry ("Harry") T. Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia,
PA 19119-1225.  215-248-4120.  Please, any off-list replies to: 
harryarmistead at hotmail dot com  (never, please, to 74077.3176 ....)